Lakers GM Rob Pelinka likens Lonzo Ball to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates

LaVar Ball has taken a lot of blame for putting pressure on Lonzo Ball with his public comments, but the Big Baller Brand CEO has hardly been alone in that regard. The Los Angeles Lakers, too, have touted the rookie out of UCLA at every opportunity, with general manager Rob Pelinka the latest to take his turn scripting hagiographies to the Crown Prince of Chino Hills.

During an interview with Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Bresnahan on “Connected With. . .”, Pelinka, who previously served as Kobe Bryant’s agent, called Zo a “transcendent talent” in that “his performance transcends just the box score,” in much the same way that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates’ aptitude could not be accurately described by their academic performance.

“If you went and pulled Steve Jobs’ college transcript at Reed College, or you looked at Bill Gates’ college transcript at Harvard, it would show someone that may have struggled and that dropped out,” Pelinka explained. “And so if you just looked at the box score, you’d say, ‘this person is probably a failure.’ But those great visionaries just have a way of having an impact beyond the way most people get judged, and I think Lonzo is like that.”

Pelinka pointed to the Lakers’ winless record without Ball (0-8 heading into Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers) as proof of his overall ability to uplift L.A. on the floor.

“To experience his impact on the Lakers, you really have to go to a game, and you have to see just the way he leads our team, the way he defends and disrupts passes, and rebounds and pushes pace,” the GM added. “We’ve just been thrilled with the impact he has on our team. We know the growth is going to continue and we’re just still ecstatic about Lonzo Ball.”

Pelinka also insisted that the Purple and Gold are just as supportive of head coach Luke Walton, who recently came under fire from Lonzo’s father overseas.

“Luke’s done a tremendous job. We fully support him, Magic [Johnson], myself, Jeanie [Buss],” Pelinka said, before noting that “Luke pushes us to be better in the front office. We push him to be better as a coach.”

The team, meanwhile, won’t likely be better—and Zo won’t move any closer to following in the footsteps of the famed CEOs of Apple and Microsoft—while the 20-year-old point guard remains sidelined by his left knee sprain. To that end, Ball’s return to NBA action will have to wait until he’s ready to practice again.